Ham and Potato Au Gratin

Lawsy mercy this was good!  I had my doubts when I was putting this together, and fretted about it as it was cooking, but once Ole Sweetie-Pi and I took our first mouthfuls, it was love at first bite.  Creamy, cheesy, potato and ham goodness.  It's a old family favorite that needs to be enjoyed more often.  I know we'll be having this again and again. It reheated okay the next day, but some might need a small splash of milk to loosen the cheese.

A saucepan or saute pan that can go from stovetop to oven, without cracking or burning it would be perfect here to save a pan.  If you don't, prepare a separate, buttered casserole dish to put the mixture in before everything goes into the oven.

Ham and Potato Au Gratin
(adapted from http://articles.boston.com/2009-02-18/lifestyle/29258528_1_russet-potatoes-cream-mixture-ham)

Preheat over to 375*F.

2 cups heavy cream
1 cup milk
a couple scrapes of a fresh nutmeg on a grater (or a pinch) of nutmeg
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon fresh garlic from a jar (or 2 whole cloves garlic, minced)
pinch thyme (about 1/8th teaspoon)

3 or 4 Russet potatoes thinly sliced (about 1/8th inch thick)
1/4 onion thinly sliced

1/2 to 1 pound ham, diced
pepper to taste

8 ounces cheese (I used 4-Italian blend ~ mozzarella, provolone, Romano, Parmesan), divided

Start by putting the cream, milk, thyme, garlic and nutmeg in a medium sized saucepan or saute pan.  Bring to a boil.  Add the potatoes and onions and cook over medium-high heat, stirring gently for about 3 minutes.  Cover the pan, turn the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes.**

Add the ham and pepper to taste. Add the cheese (reserving a small handful for top the casserole) and stir well.  If using a separate casserole dish, pour the mixture into the casserole.  Otherwise cover your saucepan/saute pan with a piece of tinfoil and put in your preheated 375*F oven.  Bake for approximately 35-45 minutes, or until potatoes are easily pierced with the tip of a thin, sharp knife.

Uncover the casserole and sprinkle the remaining cheese on top of the casserole and bake for another 10 minutes or until the cheese topping is a light golden brown.

**MY NOTES ~ When I saw the liquid to potato ratio in the pan, I panicked and thought I'd end up with potato soup, hence the fourth potato.  I probably could have added a fifth potato and it would have been okay.  The cheese and starchy potatoes thicken the sauce, so if it looks a little too milky at the end of cooking, I wouldn't hesitate to add a bit more cheese, grins.

I like ham, but I don't like a pound of ham in with 4 potatoes.

Cooking times are approximate.  Depending on how thick or thin you slice your potatoes, you might not need to cook the potatoes on the stovetop for 15 minutes.  I used a mandolin to slice my potatoes, so they were pretty thin so I only needed  10 minutes cooking time before they were fork tender.  From there I put them in the oven and at the end of 35 minutes the dish was bubbly, hot, cheesy, and the potatoes were done.

Potato Pizza

I was having one of those blue, low energy, need-lots-of-carb days, and boy, oh boy, does this delicious pizza fill the need and then some.  If you are one who likes stuffed or twice baked potatoes and pizza, I believe you will enjoy this.  This pizza combines the best of two worlds and was a winner with both me and Sweetie-Pi.

The original recipe said to bake the potatoes; I boiled mine in unsalted water, but only because I wanted the potato water for something else I was making (everlasting yeast, a post to come soon).  For those who are in a hurry, the microwave would work well here. I think this recipe is pretty flexible; add more bacon, substitute with sausage, onions instead of the scallions.  Whatever you like on your baked stuffed potatoes would probably work here. I skimmed through the reviews on Allrecipes, and some of the folks said they used half sour cream and half ranch dressing.  Now doesn't that sound tasty!
I use an easy and simple pizza crust recipe  (found here)  that  requires no rise time and no kneading.  I have given up attempting to duplicate the wood-fired oven, pizza parlor pizza  (no wood-fired oven for starters and I don't own a pizza stone either)  so I've settled for ease and convenience as well as a good homemade bready crust.  This crust is thick enough to hold the heartiest of toppings.
Baked Potato Pizza
(adapted from  Allrecipes.Com)

Your favorite prepared pizza crust or recipe

3 medium potatoes, unpeeled, baked and cooled, cubed
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning (I used a mix of thyme, basil, basil)
1 cup sour cream
6 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
3 green onions (scallions), chopped
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Have a crust ready to go in a 14" round pizza crust pan.** (Make sure you have a bit of a rim on the crust because the toppings you are going to put on are going to make a thick pizza.)  Bake for 400*F for 5 to 6 minutes or until crust starts to brown and feels just firm to the touch.  Remove from oven and set aside.

In the meantime, put the cubed potatoes in a large bowl.  Toss with the melted butter, garlic powder, and seasoning. 

Spread the sour cream over the pizza crust; top with the potato mixture and then scatter the bacon, green onion over that, and add the grated cheeses over all. 

Bake at 400*F for 15-20 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown.  Remove from the oven and let rest for five minutes before cutting into slices.

**Okay, I don't have a wood-fired oven, a pizza stone, and I don't have a pizza pan.  I just use my rimmed cookie sheet for a pizza pan and have a rectangular pizza, cut into squares to serve.  Tastes the same no matter how it's sliced, grins.  The crust recipe doesn't quite fill the pan from side to side, but that may be because I don't stretch it as thin as some might.  We tend to like a thicker crust for homemade pizzas and considering the weight of the toppings on this pizza, I would urge you to consider it if you are one who prefers a thin crust.

Pizza Crust
(found on Food.com)

1 1/4 ounce package yeast (equals 2 1/4 teaspoons)
1 cup water, warmed to about 110*F
2 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
Cornmeal for the pan, nice but not necessary

In a medium sized bowl, combine the yeast and water and stir to dissolve. The yeast should start to bubble after a minute or so.

Add the remaining ingredients and mix well.  Allow to rest for five minutes.

Sprinkle the cornmeal if you're using it on the bottom of the pan.  Press and gently stretch the dough into the pan.  (I might oil my  hands a little to give the dough a little more ease.) 

Bake at 450*F for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Hashbrown Casserole

Yum-oooooh-yum-yum-yum do we love this!  Hashbrown casserole has been a family favorite since a co-worker back in my insurance days raved about a new potato dish she had at a function.  I made this for my family, and it was a hit and became part of my niece Hilliary's birthday dinner request, smiles. 

I brought this to a small Mother Day's gathering and this simple casserole won new devotees for its cheesy, crispy, potato goodness.  I mixed all the ingredients together ahead of time, sans cornflakes which I added just before baking, so it was a timesaver.  Serves 8-12 people, depending on appetites.

Hashbrown Casserole

2 pounds frozen hashbrown potatoes (the diced potato kind, not the shredded)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 pint of sour cream
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (other cheeses also work well)

1 cup (or more!) crushed corn flakes
1/4 cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350*F.  Generously butter a 9-inch x 13-inch baking dish.  Combine the first four ingredients together (can use the casserole dish to save a dish).  Top with the crushed corn flakes and butter.

Bake for 60-90 minutes.  Serve hot.  Rewarms well but the cornflakes loose some of their crunch.

Red Flannel Hash

A while back I was telling a friend who resides on our West Coast that I made Red Flannel Hash for breakfast. Unbeknown to me, this dish is only well known regionally, and I thought I'd share this time honored favorite. My mother used to make this, usually after one of her New England boiled dinners when she would give new life to leftover vegetables and ham. A can of diced beets was added, giving this dish its traditional "red flannel" color.

This dish is more often associated with corned beef, I think, (which my family does not enjoy), so we've adapted the recipe to use either precooked hamburg or leftover ham. I think no matter what meat you use, this is a very hearty and filling breakfast. Roadside diners typically serve this with a poached egg on top and hearty slices of toast~waaay too much food for me now, though there was a time.....

Red Flannel Hash

1/2 cup hamburg, cooked and drained
1 can (14 oz) beets, drained, large dice
3 or 4 boiled, leftover potatoes, large dice (unpeeled red potatoes is nice here)
1 cup or so leftover vegetables from a boiled dinner (optional)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
A couple of good splashes of cream or milk
Salt and pepper to taste

2 tablespoons butter

Combine all ingredients into a good sized bowl, except the butter; stir to combine. The beets will stain the potatoes red. That's good. That's what you want.

Find a fry pan that is large enough to hold all the ingredients that will make a layer of about an inch or so.

Heat butter in your fry pan and saute onion and garlic until soft. Add to ingredients in bowl. Stir until well combined. Add a little more butter (or oil) to the fry pan. Add mixed ingredients and pat firmly into pan, making a kind of "pancake. "

Now, if you're good and if you're patient, you'll cook this slowly over moderate heat and make a beautiful crust on the bottom. If you're good and if you're patient, you should be able to turn this over and cook this slowly enough to make a crust on the opposite side. I have never been able to do this. My mother could though. I stir it around several times while it's cooking, looking to brown as much of the potato as possible. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Truly a terrific breakfast for men who are going out and doing manly things.

Good for women, too!